On January 19, McMaster Engineering’s Venture Academy was awarded with the Actua Experience Award and were recognized, in particular, for their achievements within the National Girls program.
Venture Academy has a commitment to engaging underrepresented youth in STEM and provides them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to succeed in the 21st century.
Their goals are to create meaningful and impactful hands-on learning for all youth and increase diversity within their programming through programs including Girl Guides of Canada Workshops, Go ENG Girl, InSTEM Workshop Wednesday, AI Coding Clubs and more.
“Our girls loved it! They really got into the “steps” of engineering (collect materials, design, build). Thank you so much!!!” – 2020 Sparks Girl Guide Leader
“The program was amazing and I am so excited for the future activities that Venture Academy has to offer!” – 2021 Go ENG Girl Participant
Actua is Canada’s largest STEM outreach organization inspiring the next generation of innovators through hands-on STEM and digital skills building experiences. Every year, they recognize their outstanding network members who had a significant and positive impact on the #STEM outreach community with their Actua Awards.
Actua’s principles include increasing girls’ self-confidence, providing mentorship and role models, dispelling gender stereotypes, all while increasing the likelihood that they will take science and math courses in secondary school and pursue careers in these areas.
In 2021, Venture Academy reached over 36,000 youth in STEM programs, of which 16,554 were in all-girls programs. All-girls programs represent 45 per cent of youth engaged from September 2020 to August 2021. These programs are designed and run by female-identifying instructors who prioritize topics that link STEM to global citizenship and the triple bottom line of sustainability.
